Musical instrument



March 18, 1930. H. G. BEYER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 5, 1928 PWM Patented Mar. 18, 1930 y PATENT OFFCE HERBERT G. BEYER, OF BALTMORE, MARYLAND MUSICAL iNs'rnUivrnN'r Application filed November 3, 1928.

The invention concerns a musical instrument to beroperated by the user blowing and creating suction therethrough'1 after the manner of a mouth organ, the air current being distributed to the reeds of the instrument through a perforated note sheet, moved across the tracker board construction by the operator winding the sheet from one roll to another carried by the frame ofthe instrument. The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a central transverse sectional View of the instrument.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the cover member removed, and with parts broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 8-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the arrow direction.

The casing yor frame of the instrument includes a base or main portion or shell 1 having spaced apart pockets 2, and a cover portion 3 having spaced apart pockets or recesses 5. The cover member is hinged to the member 1 at 6, so that it may be thrown back to expose the pockets. In the pockets 2 are mounted the rolls 7 and 8 carrying thenote sheet, which may be wound from one roll t0 the other by operating the crank handles 9 and 10. A mouth piece 11 is formed with or mounted on the cover section of the shell or casing. The shells when closed one upon the other form a chamber which is closed eX- cepting for the mouth piece and the openings through the tracker board portions or members hereinafter mentioned, and this chamber is sealed by packing such as rubber tubing 12 carried embedded in the cover member and arranged to bear on the member 1 when the instrument is closed. The cover may be held in closed position by any suitable catch or fastener 13. The cylindrical chambers which house the note sheet 4rolls are connected by a narrow passage 14 existing between the walls 15 of the shells, which walls are inset in re spect to the cylindrical portions of said shells. Through this narrow passage the note sheet is directed from one roll chamber to the other.

Serial No. 317,025.

r`he inset walls 15 ofthe shells carry the reeds, arranged in two sets. One set 16, to be op erated by blowing through the mouth piece, is mounted on a. plate 16a fixed by pins like at 17 in a suitable seat in the inset wall. This wall is formed with a wind chest or recess 18 having a series of openings like at 19 leading through the overhanging wall portion 2O to the narrow passa-ge 14: of the closed pressure chamber.

The other set of reeds 16X which are to be operated by suction created by the inhalations of the user, through the mouth piece, are carried by a plate 16" set in a recess in the wall of the cover member, said plate forming with an insert member 21 a box-like member or wind chest, the wall 22 of which is perforated with a series of openings 19EL similar to the openings 19. rlhe note sheet normally finds bearings in the narrow passage 14 upon rounded portions or rests 23 which direct the note sheet centrally of the passage 14. rFhe perforated walls 2O and 22 answer as tracker bars, one being located on one side of the note sheet and the other upon the other side of the note sheet. The tracker bar 2O acts to receive the perforated note sheet when blowing through the instrument, and the other tracker bar 22 affords a bearing for the note sheet when the instrument is subjected to the suction induced by inhalations of the user. By this arrangement of having a tracker board or like surface on each side of the note sheet, similar action is secured by both blowing and suction. In both cases, the perforated note sheet will rest tightly upon a tracker board surface, and all ports or passages will be sealed excepting the openings with which 'the perforations in the note sheet register, and there will be no tendency to produce discords by reason of leakage through reed openings, other than those with which the note sheet openings register. The cover is provided with a channel 2li extending laterally from the mouth piece to distribute the air pressure over the tracker board surfaces from side tc side of the note sheet. Openings 25 lead from the ends of this channel through the shell of the cover port-ion and these openings overlie the edge portions of the sheet.

Therefore when pressure is applied by blowing into the sealed air chamber, the edges of the note sheetwill be forced down into sealing contact with the tracker board surface m of the main casing or section. Openings 25 are also formed in the casing or shell l on the opposite side of the note sheet from the openings 25, so that when the instrument is being played by suction, the air at atmospheric pressure will be admitted from the outside to press on the edges of the note sheet and seat the same against the tracker board surface 3,/ of the cover shell or casing sect-ion 3. It will be noticed that the openings 25, 25a are in the same plane which is common to the tracker board openings 19, 19a, or, in other words, they are in line, so that when pressure is exerted upon the note sheet either through the opening 25 or the openings 25a, the said sh'eetwill be forced against the corresponding tracker board surface along its edge portions or margins, thus sealing the tracker board openings vagainst the passage of air except through those openings with which the openings in the note sheet register. The formation of the shells l and 8 composing the casing of the instrument with the intermediate're-entrant wall portions 15 lends vitself to mounting of the reed plates and the location of the tracker board surfaces in Vclose proximity to the note sheet at the narrow passageway between the rollholding cylinders 'of the closed pressure chainber.

The shells are preferably made of bakelite molded to the proper form.

The reed plates may be formed in sections.

I claim:

1. A musicalV instrument comprising two separable casing members with spaced apart roll receiving pockets connected by a narrow passage forming a substantially closed pressure chamber, a mouth piece opening into said chamber, tracker board surfaces; one on one side of the said narrow passage and the other on the other side of said narrow passage, two sets of reeds supported adjacent Vsaid tracker board surfaces and on opposite sides of said narrow passage, one set for operation by blowing and the other set by suction, and means for moving a note sheet through said narrow passage from one pocket to the other, substantially as described.

2. A musical instrument comprising two separable casing members with spaced roll receiving pockets connected by a narrow passage, the walls of the said casing at said narrow passage being re-entrant relative to the walls of the pockets, said narrow passage having on each side thereof a tracker board surface, and: a reed carrying member on each side of said narrow'passage seated in the reentrant wall, substantially as described.

8. A musical instrument comprising two casing members having between them spaced apart cavities for holding note sheet rolls, said cavities being connected by a narrow passage through which the note sheet is moved, one wall defining said passage having a reed chamber with openings communicating with the narrow passage, a reed carrying plate seated over 'said chamber, and having its reed operable by blowing, the other wall defining said narrow passage having a recess with a box-like structure inserted in said re-V cess, having openings communicating with the said narrow passage, a reed plate having reeds operable by suction forming a part 0f said ybox-like structure and seated in said recess, and a mouth piece communicating through the reed yopenings with the interior of said box-like insert, substantially as de-v scribed.

4. A musical instrument having separable sections with spaced roll receiving pockets connected by a narrow passage, said passage being defined by a perforated integral wall on one side, outside of which there is a recess with a reed plate covering said recess, the other wall ydening said passage having a recess on its interior side with reed plate inserted in said recess, and an 'inserted 'perforated wall adjacent said narrow passage, said perforated walls forming trackerbar surfaces'on opposite sides of the narrow passage, and a mouth piece communicating with the said interior recess through the reed plate therein, substantially as described. n

5. A musical instrument, `comprising two separable frame sections with roll receiving cavities between them spaced apart and with a narrow passage Vconnecting said cavities, a tracker board surfaceon leach side of and defining 'said narrow passage, a mouth piece1 openings at the ends -of the tracker board surfaces opposite the margins of the note sheet. one pair of -openings 'communicating with the mouth piece and the other pair of openings communicating with the atmosphere, substantially as described.

6.'A musical instrument comprising two separable frame sections with roll receiving pockets connected by a narrow passage through which the note sheet moves,atracker board surface, a mouth piece and openings at the ends of the tracker board surface communicating with the mouth piece, whereby air pressure may be exerted through said end openings upon the marginal surface of the note sheet to force the :same into sealing contactwith the tracker Vboard surface, substantially as described.

7. A musical instrument, a casing, means for holding and moving a note sheet, a tracker board surface on each'side of said note sheet, and reeds on 'eachside lof the note sheet, one set to be operated by the passage of air inone direction and the 'other set -to be operated by the passage of air in the opposite'direction.

" V8. A musical instrument according to claim HERBERT G. BEYER. 

